new release

Brooklyn artist Magana’s debut EP, Golden Tongue, will be released on Oct. 28, and it’s a tantalizing taste of what this compelling artist has in store for us in the future. Her indie rock/pop style is similar to other eclectic singer-songwriters like St. Vincent, Sharon Van Etten, and Angel Olsen, with a bit of 90s alt-girl like PJ Harvey and Mazzy Star thrown in for good measure. The four-song EP kicks off with “Get It Right,” where she blends poetic lyrics with bluntly honest directives like “Get it right if you’re gonna, gonna waste my time, “ and “make up your damn mind.” The harmony is subtly surprising, and her voice is arresting from the first note. This is one of two singles you can listen to prior to the album’s release on Oct 28th, so click here to check it out!

The other single available to listen to now by clicking here is “Inches Apart,” an intimate song which builds beautifully from simple, clean electric guitar and Magana’s voice to a sparse yet lush synth soundscape. This song and the next, “The World Doesn’t Know,” demonstrate Magana’s remarkable ability to craft a musical journey that truly moves the listener through the song to a different place than where they started. The album closes with my personal favorite, “Golden Tongue,” featuring Magana’s sweet yet raucous vocal performance, the most complex and compelling drum groove of the album, and a rich, synth-y breakdown at the end with flashes of Radiohead circa OK Computer. On top of all that, it delivers a gut-punch of a final line in the chorus, “And you’ll never even know / that you’re lonely until you’re old.”

Overall, Golden Tongue is a satisfying glimpse into this Magana’s world and her potential for the future. We hear her evocative vocals, feel the emotion in her lyrics, and sense the intimacy and power in her instrumentation. If I had one criticism, it would be that this album is too short—as each song ended, I felt myself wishing for more, and indeed, with most of the songs clocking in around 3 minutes or under and the EP itself only being four songs, it’s on the short side. However, this may actually be the smartest move she’s made on the entire album, because I truly can’t wait to hear what she does next. For her first effort, Magana accomplishes what any EP should do—put her sound in our heads and leave us wanting more more more.

SOUND: Dreamy, dramatic indie rock/pop in the vein of St. Vincent, Sharon Van Etten, and Daughter

LISTEN TO: The whole thing—it’s only four songs! But especially “Golden Tongue” and “Get It Right”